I Want To Be Like You!
by Kamra
Summary: Punkish, just starting out his adolescent years, is one of many contestants for a contest; Project DIVA. Beginning his teenage years with new faces, he'll discover hardships of a new life. He has an admiration for androids, one being Kagamine Len Append. The younger dancer hopes to go into the virtual world with him away from the physical world. Art—vocaloidscribbles@tumblr.
1. Drive (C:)

Hopefully I can finish this story! I want to practice more and improve my writing. A song strongly influenced and motivated me to write this.

* * *

The heels of his shoes clack against the pavement, scurrying to find the crowd of people. The small blond kid pushes his way through the crowd—his face hot and feeling as though his legs are being pricked by needles. He starts to feel nervous, beginning to sweat bullets.

Being in crowds isn't his thing, daring not to look up as he crossed the street along a line of people. His blue eyes glue to the floor, heels hitting hard against the ground. He regrets his choice of outfit, fearing his shorts might be too high up on his thighs.

The kid in black bumps into another person right in front of him. His head shoots up and strands of hair cover his eyes. Mortified, he hesitates to bow his head to silently apologize.

"Eyes up here! You can't see anything if you're staring at the ground." A hand rests on his head, making him react and quickly take a step back. Punkish looks up, dropping his shoulders. The person he had bumped into was Kagamine Len's 'expression of color,' Kagamine Len Append. The taller boy's voice is calming, his vocals obviously stating the android to be in a relaxed mood.

The young teen doesn't crack a word to him, moving to the side to see a crowd of fans circling around the VOCALOIDs.

"Hey, I'll get you a snack or a drink. What's your name?" The shorter blond bites on the inside of his cheek at the question, hugging himself. "Punkish," he answers.

"I like your outfit, Punkish. We're a little like twins! Your collar pops up, and so does mine. Not to mention we're both even wearing chokers." Append Len leads Punkish over to the food stand where a handful of modules are waiting in line for food, snacks, drinks and all of the above. Punkish points at a picture of mango juice and another photo of takoyaki.

Append Len smiles at him, paying for his snack and drink. He puts the newly bought items into the shorter blond's small hands. "I'm assuming you haven't met everyone here yet. Since we're starting the contest this month and everyone's here, it's been decided that everyone should go on and pick as many people as they want to room with." He raises his hand, pointing over at all the modules spread across the park. "That's Classic, and over there is Aitetsu and his sister, Suou. Then there's Reactor, Cyber Cat, Scarlet, Silence ..." Append Len lists the names of all of the modules. By the time he's done, Punkish is already done with his snack and drink.

After a few encounters with a few other modules, Punkish gets picked out by Blue Moon; he'd be rooming with Blue and his sister, Black Star. The other roommate is a small boy named Strange Dark and a girl a tiny bit taller than Punkish, who is Reactor.

Everyone gathers together an hour later, Meiko explaining to the huge group of people the rules of the contest and the rules of housing. Many modules have been assigned a song and a few are given a choice what they want to dance to. All of the songs are sung by the main VOCALOIDs.

School Jersey partners with Punkish as a dancing duo. He's fifteen, two years older than Punkish.

"You can call me Jersey," he stuffs a handful of potato chips into his own mouth while speaking. "How old are you? You look too short to be a fifteen year old…" The boy in frames raises a brow at the younger male.

"I'm Punkish and I just turned thirteen last month…"

"Whaddya know, my birthday was last month, too! I'm rooming with this guy named Campus whose birthday is in the same month as us. I remember being thirteen… But I ain't as old as gramps over there." He refers back to Campus.

"I don't know about you, but be careful with shorty over there." He bends down, whispering to Punkish about Dark. "He looks like he can snap you in half. He looks so grumpy. Always frowning a lot. I hadn't even seen him smile. Not one bit. He threatened me and even told me he was gonna stick a knife into my ribcage if I didn't shut up!" Jersey laughs, wiping away a tear.

A chill runs down Punkish's spine, squeezing his hands together. He prays to himself that nothing horrible happens, but did Dark really have that kind of intention? He can see him right ahead talking to Blue Moon and Black Star.

Not like this day could make him any more of a nervous wreck.


	2. DATA 1

"All the boys will be grouped together, and all the girls will be grouped together."

"Can't we have separate rooms of our own, Star?" Blue narrows his eyes.

"If we had a five-room apartment, yea. But there's only three rooms, we need the third one for storage. At least there's two bathrooms, alright?" Star opens a box, unloading stacks of plates and bowls.

Upstairs where the bedrooms are located, Punkish and Dark unload their belongings. Dark climbs up the ladder of the bunk bed, throwing pillows and sheets onto the mattress.

"Up is mine. I'll hurt you if you take my bunk." Dark scowls at Punkish from above.

'I guess I'll be alright with the bottom bunk, but even that tall guy is going to take this one. Where's the third bed?' Punkish falls onto the mattress, staring up.

Blue barges into the room, dropping a large box onto the ground. "Wouldn't kill you to help me out!" The older boy yells at his sister, tearing tape off from the large package. He throws clothes onto the lower bunk, awakening Punkish from his staring trance. He sits up, throwing shirts back at Blue.

The older teen notices the bunk bed after organizing his clothes in the closet. "One bunk bed, two mattresses." He throws himself onto the lower mattress, one inch away from accidentally hitting Punkish.

The blond in black opens his eyes, grumbling and rolling away. He faces the wall, pulling the sheets for himself.

"You don't talk, do you?" Punkish waves his arm at Blue, "I'll take that as a no."

"Shut up! I don't wanna hear your stupid voice." Dark throws his headset onto Blue, hitting him on the chest. Blue grabs the headset, dropping it to the floor and rubbing the spot where he got hit.

Punkish thinks to himself, wondering why Dark had to be chosen as a roommate. Couldn't it have been Jersey, or the Asymmetry twins? Or the blue cyber cat.

Anyone. But. Dark.

From downstairs, Reactor calls out to the boys. "Dinner is ready! Better get all your butts over here!" Blue is first to leave, Punkish following after, and Dark being last. All five kids gather to the table with dishes filled up with delicious food.

Of course Dark had to be the only picky one, taking a nibble and refusing to eat the rest of "the most disgusting dinner."

Everyone at the table but Punkish say their names and age to know one another. Star and Blue are both sixteen, Reactor is thirteen, and Dark is around eleven or twelve years of age.

After dinner, all five head to the studio where all of the modules are there. Performances are scheduled, and the order of songs are written on a large whiteboard. "Romeo and Cinderella" being the first song, and "Sekiranun Graffiti" being last.

Punkish reads further into the list; the first seven contestants are Vintage Dress, Cat Girl, Butterfly and Flower, Black Star, Spiritual, and Stroll Style. Blue was indeed going to perform along with his sister, but he doesn't play much of a role. He's her bassist for the song, are they also the vocalists?

Punkish bites on his nails, staring down. Was he the only one not going to sing? Then again, Jersey doesn't look to be much of a singer.

Append Len rests his hand on Punkish's thin shoulder from behind. "Hey kid, how's housing so far?"

He didn't intend to startle the young boy who runs out of his grasp. Punkish faces the android, his face softening. He scratches his arm, shaking his head in response to the android's question.

"Not so good? Why is that?"

Punkish shrugs, point at the back of Dark. The strange child was grabbing a handful of cookies from the table.

"Try not to worry about it, I don't think he's done anything wrong to you, right?"

Punkish blinks, shaking his head. "If you don't like the kid, doesn't mean you're forced to be friends with him, Punkish." Append Len smiles at him, holding out a lollipop.

"I got this for you. It's mango, I assume that's your favorite. The candy's kinda spicy."

Punkish holds out his hands, the treat falling onto his palm.

At the first performance, Append Len sits next to Punkish. The duo share a bag of sour gummy worms throughout the whole show.


	3. DATA 2

Punkish awakes in the living room, having the best sleep since out of the two weeks he's been in the apartment. He couldn't stand it any longer when Blue snores, triggering Dark to have a fit. The strange child whines and groans all night until he tires from his acts and passes out. It's impossible for Punkish to sleep through the night. Maybe he could sleep in with Reactor and Star.

For the two weeks he's been around, Reactor was the one he became fond of. She's funny and easy to get along with, even Star gets along with her. Even with a good bond, Punkish remains mute and Star finds that to be a little creepy. It simply can't be creepier with how Dark is like. Blue didn't care, he finds it perfectly normal with how Punkish is like.

Being properly dressed, Punkish leaves the house early. Blue was second to awaken and told the boy "goodbye and take care!" as he embarks to visit Jersey and his roommate, Campus.

Breakfast is served by the blue-haired schoolboy. Punkish sits next to Jersey who's scarfing down one plate to a second full of scrambled eggs and sausages.

One thing about breakfast Punkish loves the most are the bagels topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

Finishing a delicious meal, Punkish eyes Jersey. Today is the day they both have to meet up with Len at the studio for their performance. Jersey doesn't even look to be a passionate dancer, or a dancer to begin with! This may as well be Jersey's first and last performance.

Punkish lowers his head in thankful silence towards Campus for breakfast, trailing behind Jersey out the apartment.

About half an hour later, the duo check in at the entrance of the studio, looking for a specific room where Len is located. It takes another half hour to find the room with how huge the building is, Jersey kicking the door open in frustration.

Len jumps, a yelp escapes from his mouth. "Don't you know you can knock?" The android faces Jersey and the schoolboy apologizes.

Their android coach calculates how long it'll before their live performance; it'll approximately take about one week if no one slacks off.

Dance movements must be synchronized and up to beat with the music. Len provides assistance for Jersey with vocals, a few mistakes here and there.

Not only can he dance, he can sing. While Punkish… cannot. Singing isn't his passion. It's the art of body language that is important.

But that's debatable, because a song is like a thousand words — equivalent to a picture. That is what Punkish assumes. A dance is a dance, this isn't a music video whereas other modules are creating one.

Will they even win? Will people like and enjoy their performance?

The boy in black brushes away negativity, focusing his body and mind to the music. He blocks out Len and Jersey, pretending it's only him on stage.

Punkish images himself alone in a room where not a single person is to be there. He kneels, twirls, and takes a step back. The dance does not suit the song, and retries over and over and over again.

For three days, he continues to block out people from his small world on stage, succeeding to feel the song in his body. His soul becomes one with the music, and Jersey mirrors Punkish's rhythmic body a few feet behind.

There are only two days left, just two more before their performance.

On the last day, the duo stay in the studio much longer than the days before. From morning down to the evening.

"When do we perform, tomorrow or the day after?" Jersey asks Len.

"It'll be on Monday. We don't schedule on Sunday unless it's for training."

In terms of live performance, it takes a week. Any other production requires a green screen which takes about two weeks maximum.

Jersey and Punkish head back to the apartments together, "Why don't we eat over at my place? Only for tonight." The schoolboy grins at him, "I'll race ya back!"

The two sprint, bumping into each other and squeezing their way up the stairs. The duo step into the room at the same time.

"I guess we both win." He pants, looking down at Punkish._ Clinks _and _clanks _emit from the kitchen, Campus pouring soup into bowls. "Yo! We're home. Y'know, we as in me and Punkish."

The older schoolboy pokes his head out from the doorway. "Hey there, just in time for dinner. I made soup, it's not really much. I bought a big loaf of bread earlier."

Jersey picks up the bowls, bringing them to the table. Campus picks up the third bowl and a loaf of bread, setting them with Jersey. He heads back to the kitchen and returns with three glasses full of juice.

"How did the performance go for both of you?" Campus smiles at the two. "It went pretty good, I'm really exhausted. We're gonna go live on Monday! Heheh, hopefully I don't mess this up."

"I'm sure the both of you will do great. Cheers!" The bluette raises his glass. The blond in black hadn't felt this happy before at dinner ever since rooming in. "Cheers!" Punkish shouts out, hitting glasses with the two boys.

* * *

I've been rather busy all week! At least this didn't take me too long to complete. Thank you for the kind review!


	4. DATA 3

Star and Blue surprise Jersey and Punkish with a celebration for their show, popping poppers in the studio. Punkish sits next to the schoolboy, Campus appearing from the shadows and placing a large plate of homemade cake on the table.

"I knew you two could do it!" Campus beams at the duo in glee, holding up a plastic knife. Punkish, being the younger one, cuts a slice first. Jersey cuts in for a second slice after, and Campus cuts a slice for everyone else at the mini celebration.

The door busts open, the whole gang staring at the doorway. Append Rin and Append Len scramble to the table, laying out small gifts on the table.

"Sorry we're late," the Appends speak in unison.

A forkful of cake drops from the corner of Punkish's lips. It's been two weeks since he had last seen Append Len. The bluette schoolboy cuts two more slices for the late arrivers, presenting them cake.

Append Len sits right next to Punkish, "You danced really well. I hope you win." Punkish nods at him, stuffing his own face with cake.

Dark leers at the two boys, setting aside his dessert. He throws his fork, the utensil hits hard against the table, sliding near Jersey's plate.

Punkish gazes at Dark's green hues, raising his brow at the child. The child furrows his, holding out his small hand to cover Punkish's face. He turns away, glowering down at his white shoes.

When the party's over, Reactor assists Star in cleaning the room. Punkish stands outside in the night, holding his hands together.

"I don't know what I did wrong, he stares at me like that the most." He gently bumps himself against Append Len's arm.

"You should ask, or perhaps you'll find out soon enough." The android rests his hand on Punkish's shoulder.

Back in the apartment room, Punkish curls up under the sheets. Blue sits at the large window sill, closing the window. The older teen hums, and Dark rises up from bed and crawls to the edge.

Punkish can hear the young boy shuffling above, hiding himself even more.

"Hum more," Dark whispers.

Punkish squeezes his eyes shut, falling asleep within two minutes.

Sunlight shines through the window, illuminating the room. Punkish sits up from bed, rubbing away sleep from his eyes. He's the first to be awake, as always. He crawls onto of Blue to get out of bed, and the older teen's warmth beckons the boy to stay on top of him longer. He closes his eyes, sighing in relaxation. He desires to sleep longer, resting his head on Blue's stomach.

He lies on the teen's belly for half an hour, rolling his body over the boy after. Punkish lands on his feet, walking up to the door.

"I'll see you later, Pun." Blue waves at Punkish, and the silent boy awkwardly raises back.

How embarrassing! He didn't know Blue had woken up. Was he awake this whole time? Maybe not long after laying on top of him.

Blue falls out of bed, mumbling. "Nngh, on second thought…" The older teen yawns, standing up. Surprisingly, the thud did not wake Dark. Both boys head down to the kitchen and Blue opens the fridge, pulling out a box of eggs.

The older teen makes breakfast for the younger teen, feeling pleased with himself he made food for Punkish. Blue assumed he couldn't exactly cook for himself.  
"I'm so sleepy… I'll be fine. Are you going someplace?" Blue eyes Punkish, the younger module shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders.

"… Why did I think you were going out? I think I was dreaming you were leaving the house. You're not even dressed, silly me." Blue laughs, picking up the now empty breakfast plate to wash.

For the rest of the morning, the duo sit together in the living room, watching movies or shows on their TV. It's a little strange for Punkish, but it's not too late to start bonding and become friends.

Blue doesn't talk much, making it even more awkward for Punkish. He doesn't like the silence, he wants him to say something, anything.

"Talk," Pun breathes out. The smaller teen lowers his head, crossing his arms. Blue faces away from the television, scratching the back of his own head. "I never really thought about talking to you. You're really quiet, so I was thinking you wouldn't want to speak. I guess you do, don't you?"

Punkish nods, "Let's get dressed. We can go walking around the city or ride the bus together." Blue stands, stretching. The duo head upstairs to retrieve their clothes, Punkish being first to dress in the bathroom.


	5. DATA 4

The duo head back home in the late afternoon with groceries right on time for dinner. Star fills pots with water and drizzles oil onto pans; Blue unloads all the groceries onto the kitchen counter. There are packs of noodles and packaged shrimp, octopus, narutomaki, and seaweed.

Punkish runs over to Reactor in the living, sitting next to her on the carpet floor. Dark ignores their presence, resting his chin on the couch's arm. The small boy reflects back on his sister, his sister that he hates so much with his entire being. He remembers the incident where his sister pushed him into the lake, leaving him to die.

He'd always try to get back at her, but she was one step ahead of him.

Dark can feel himself sinking into the water, he opens his eyes and sees a new world. So many pedestrians fill up the city and too many cars fill the world with noise. It aggravates the boy, stomping his feet and screaming for the noise to stop.

A delicious dark red sun rises and the entire world becomes the exact same shade. Dark towers over the entire city, smiling to himself. He picks up citizens, vehicles, and buildings. One by one, he mutilates every being, grinning more to himself. He smiles in joy, grabbing thousands of people onto his palm. From the distance, he hears laughter from a girl, awakening him from his perfect world.

Dark glowers at Reactor, throwing a pillow at the back of her head. Star calls out to the young group to sit for dinner which doesn't end so well with Dark taking out his anger on Reactor and Punkish.

Punkish and Reactor stay up all night together in the living room watching movies. "Are you okay…?" Punkish holds up Reactor's bandaged hand. "It only stings a little if I don't move it a lot. Is that the same for your hand, too?" Punkish nods, sighing.

"I don't understand what his deal is. We didn't do anything to him! Looks like it's almost morning, I'm going to head out soon and talking to Asymmetry R or find Conflict. Maybe hand out with Candy and Drop."

'I don't understand what his deal is either, I just want it to be morning so I can leave already.'

Hours passing like eons, the clock strikes ten o'clock and both young teens leave the house on separate paths.

Punkish hugs himself, regretting not following after Reactor. She would have been okay with him tagging along, but he refused. The world looks much larger than before, frightening him. He hangs his head low, avoiding eye contact from the world around him.

He sprints forward, bumping into people and jumping off the sidewalk into the street. He runs as fast as he can, his destination in mind being the studio.

Pushing the door open, he stands still to catch his breath. His body cools down and he wipes away sweat from his forehead. Sounds of heels are heard from the hallway, could it be one of the scientists? Punkish steps into the white hall looking from left to right. His lips part when he notices Append Len.

The android waves at someone in front of a doorway and turns around, heading over to the same direction Punkish stands. The older teen freezes in his steps, smiling wide at the younger teen in front of him.

"Punkish!" He gasps out in excitement and trots over to him. The younger male feels the android wrap his arms tight around him, rather surprised from the close contact. His small hands press hard against Append Len's back, hissing softly in pain; he forgot about the recent injury for a moment.

The android releases Punkish from his grasp and bites on his nails. "D-did I hug you too hard? I'm so sorry!" Punkish immediately shakes his head, holding out his left hand.

"What happened, are you alright?" The older teen covers his mouth, reaching out to Punkish's wrist and examining the bandaged wound.

"I got stabbed with a fork at dinner, the same thing happened to Reactor…" Punkish bites hard on his bottom lip and withdraws his hand away.

"Is she okay?"

"She said she is, but I'm sure it hurts as much for her."

The android frowns, a sigh escapes. "I'm sorry about that. Let's hope this doesn't happen again. I got done with recording, maybe you'd like to hang out with me?" Without hesitation, Punkish smiles up at Append Len.

Inside the cafeteria within the studio, Append Len retreats from the back kitchen with mochi and water.

"Punkish, you have a moment? Of course you do. I need to tell you something…"

The young teen shrinks in his seat, his stomach twisting with how disappointed Append Len sounds.

"There's a song I need to record. The thing is… I want someone to sing it with me. You are a fit participant for this!"

"I can't sing—"

"I insist! Please. I think it'll be fit for a next video shoot with us two." He winks at Punkish, presenting a large mochi for the boy. "I'll teach you how to sing and help you feel confident."

Punkish holds on to the other end of the treat, "Okay. We'll sing it together, Append Len."

"Pen, you may call me Pen. Even if it sounds silly, Pun. So it's been decided!"

The android sits next to Punkish, clinking their glasses of water together.


	6. DATA 5

Inside the recording room, Pen runs over to the stereos, flicking them on. Punkish fumbles with the microphone attached to his headset.

"I don't think I can do this… I've never really sung except in elementary school."

"I'm going to help you practice!" Pen randomly presses keys of a musical keyboard. "Say 'ah' to each key I press. It'll help you out, I think?" He tilts his head and taps his fingers on the keys.

Slowly pressing each key, Punkish follows each note with his voice. His voice breaks and cracks the higher the notes become. He flushes, hiding his burning red face away from Pen.

"I told you I can't do it! I really can't…"

"You're a beginner. We have plenty of time to get this right. Practice makes perfect, you always practice before you dance on stage. Don't you do that?"

Punkish wiggles his index finger in agreement and uncovers his face.

"Okay… I'll try to do it again. Press the keys once more."

Half an hour passes and Pen reassures the boy about not being able to hit the higher notes.

"Our voices aren't going to be this high. Don't sweat it, alright?" He grins at Punkish and pats him on the head.

The rest of the day passes with the two singing together and Pen correcting Punkish on a few lines. Even the duo discuss details of how they'll be dancing; many of the movements are agile which Punkish finds easiest out of singing. For Pen, it's slightly difficult.

"Near the closing of the song, I will be jumping inside of a 'frame.' I already have an idea how to set the stage up. We'll be doing this live, if that's okay?"

Wonderful, another live performance. Especially with Pen who's popular than all of the modules combined together. The stage is most likely going to be filled with millions and millions of people. Punkish already foresees a disaster, 'I'm going to pass out on stage. I know I will and it's going to screw things up.'

"Yea. It's fine." He coldly comments at Pen, averting his optics away from the android.

"It's going to be fine. I promise. Just pretend the whole stage is filled with carrots as our audience. Or think of them as guavas or tomatoes. This is making me a little hungry… I know! Let's go get a sushi as thick as my thigh."

The young boy's eyes widen, refusing to eat a large meal like that. "I'd rather eat a strawberry roll as big as that…"

"That's a lot of sweets right there. We can go for some burgers and fries."

Seven minutes past eleven o'clock at night, Punkish is back home. Star unlocks the door for the boy who heads straight upstairs and passes out right on top of Blue on the lower bunk.

By morning, Punkish eats breakfast and heads out to the studio. His continuous routine lasts for a week and a half for perfection. The young boy mimics Pen when he sings, following the same keys. The android gives him a high-five, congratulating him for mastering the whole song, and by heart!

Already the two didn't have to worry about the dance, that's already taken care off and less of a hassle for Punkish.

"I've already picked a day. I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I had to rush it or someone else was going to take the date! It's going to be on Friday."

"Friday…. This Friday?" Punkish nibbles on his nails.

"This Friday. It's going to be okay. Pretend the people are all oranges or something along that. Focus on your dancing and you'll be okay, okay?"

The boy disagrees with the android, holding his face.

"I can't do it. I'm scared. There's going to be lots of people."

"We put so much effort in this together."

"I think it's too soon! Today is Wednesday and we only have tomorrow before the big thing." Punkish becomes agitated, avoiding physical contact from Pen who frowns at him. The android worries and scratches the back of his head.

"I'll give you time to relax. I'm sorry I don't know how to help you with this." Pen suggests Punkish to head outside for some fresh air and the boy quietly leaves from the studio.

'Be confident, you got this. Be confident… Pen says everything will be okay. It's going to be okay.'

The young teen inhales deeply and coughs out air. He nods to himself and heads back to the studio in search of Pen.

"You feeling better?"

"Much better. I needed to reassure myself," the teen grins at the android.

* * *

Thank you for you review and support, Mitsu! I see this site doesn't have many and I don't think Tumblr has any (aside from this I repost on there).


	7. DATA 6

It's Friday and about five o'clock in the afternoon. Evening is by the corner and Punkish is prepping himself for his performance with Pen.

Is today really the day? It feels much too soon. A crowd with millions than before; over twice as many, more than five times when Punkish performed with Jersey. His first staging was enough to make him a nervous wreck and his palms all sweaty.

This feeling is more than nervousness, fear is peeking from within. He holds in his breaths for thirty seconds and exhales until there is no air left to breathe out.

A young lady is at the other side of the room, putting on makeup on Pen. Does he really need any? There is no difference and his face looks the same. The makeup artist leaves and the android wipes the makeup off a towel.

"How are you holding up?"

Punkish jolts to the side of his chair, digging his nails onto the vanity.

"I don't know…" But he _does _know. Punkish's heart beats fast and the fear inside grows stronger. The first act with millions of people and live, live with everyone staring at the television from work or at home or at a restaurant.

"Twenty more minutes!" Meiko announces as she walks past the doorway.

Twenty more minutes not enough, twenty more hours would be better.

"I ne-need water. I'll be back." The young teen runs out from the room, dashing in search for water. He bumps into Pin, Append Rin, and requests for directions where the water is. She holds up a water bottle and hands it to Punkish.

"Already got one on me. I'm distributing water to everyone. Try not to drink too much, there's only fifteen minutes left."

Even if the boy wishes to drink the entire bottle, he can't. His throat is tight and he sips enough to suffice a hamster. Punkish wanders to the nearest restroom, 'Am I going to puke…? I feel so sick.'

He stands still in front of a mirror for a whole seven minutes until Pen walks in.

"Our show is almost starting, come on."

"I can't, I can't. I can't do this. I'm scared, I'm scared of messing up." The young teen fumbles, holding his head in his hands. He can hear the sound of his own heartbeat, swallowing hard and gulping enough water for his dried mouth.

Pen gently nudges the boy out the restroom, "You can do this. We practiced well enough. I promise you won't mess up."

Three minutes are left and both boys stand behind a long curtain. Punkish's head races, his heart skips a beat at Meiko's public notification.

The mental timer hits zero.

"Kagamine Len Append and Punkish will be performing 'Time and Limit.'"

The stage roars with noise of excitement as the curtains unveils the two boys!

Punkish is first to dance, his back facing Pen from behind. He spins and runs up to the android, holding their hands and linking arms. Pen is then first to sing and Punkish second. Their vocals flow in unison and the young teen's fears and worries subside.

He's impressed at how smooth and in sync his words flow with Pen, unable to believe that he's singing alongside with the android. Their movements quicken and the two swiftly turn together. They dance apart and walk backwards together, their backs nearly touching.

The young teen spins to face the back of the stage and the android runs ahead.

'Wait… where's the… frame?'

Nothing more but a large screen stands behind. Punkish struggles to reach out to Pen, his body becoming stiff.

The android jumps inside the large monitor and appears much bigger than before.

Astonishment steals Punkish's breath away and time feels frozen. His knees tremble, gasping in air and taking one step forward. His friend waves goodbye to the audience and motions Punkish to run up to him.

With no hesitation, Punkish runs up to his friend. Pen jumps out from the monitor, making their last dancing debut and raising their hands in the air for the closing.

The audience cries and cheers and the duo bow.

Punkish steals a glance of his friend, heavily breathing. Witnessing something so _magical_ and _fascinating_, he smiles wide in elation.


	8. DATA 7

All six Cryptonloids clean the stage after audiences leave in packed group; they mop the dirtied floor and nothing else needs to be done.

Pen and Pin chat together with Punkish and Reactor runs up the stairs and tosses herself over to Punkish who stumbles and bumps into Pin. Reactor moves herself away from him, bows her head, and apologizes to him. Punkish laughs it off, shaking his head at her and reassuring her that it's nothing.

The Cryptonloids circle around the group and steers them backstage and only two cover Pen and Punkish's eyes, Reactor and Pin respectively. Their hands uncover their eyes when the entire group enters a room decorated with streams and oddly shaped balloons. Punkish snorts and points to one of the balloons, a purple one.

"That one looks like a cube and virtual!'

"That because it is," Pin pats the young teen on the back.

Meiko stabs in two candles and Luka hands out spoons and forks to everyone while Rin distributes napkins and Kaito serves different drinks to everyone. Miku runs up to Meiko with a lighter, smiling and hands it to the eldest Vocaloid.

"Both of you, make a wish!" Luka chimes. Meiko lights one candle and Miku lights the other.

"This feels like a birthday…" Punkish whispers.

"We planned a really special party for you two as the two of you made an achievement. Punkish, you sand for the first time. And Pen, you danced for the first time." Rin acknowledges him.

Pen eagerly nudges against Punkish like a child, "Did you make a wish?" The android wiggles his brows, happily swaying from left to right in repetition. Punkish locks on Pen and blushes in embarrassment. All questions and worries should be pushed aside. The young teen holds in his breath, his cheeks growing red the longer he doesn't breathe.

"Three," Kaito begins, "Two… One!" The pair blow out the candles and the whole crew claps.

"Everyone, dig in!" Len shouts, holding up his utensils in the air. The duo are the first to bury their spoons and forks into the cake, scooping up large pieces of cake and creating a mess. Reactor smears icing on Punkish's face, laughing at him. He puffs his cheeks and glares at her. He picks up a piece of cake, squashing it on the girl's face. Everyone else follow along like dominos, smearing icing on one another's face.

Punkish lets out a long sigh and pats his tummy, "That was really yummy!" Reactor nods at her friend, wiping away any icing that's on her face. All six main Vocaloids clean up the mess everyone and throw away used utensils, cups, and napkins.

"I'm gonna be heading out now!" Pin waves at Pen and runs out from the doorway. He waves back a little too late. Punkish pops up from behind Pen's chair, "Pssst…. Pssst!"

"Yes, Pun?"

The young teen holds his hands together, "Is she your sister…?"

The android takes a second to respond, "Not exactly. I guess we can be but I found out we're not blood related. We do look alike, we're just mirror images of ourselves like how it is with Rin and Len."

"That sounds really confusing to me," Punkish sighs and rests his head on Pen's shoulder when he walks up to him.

"I wanted to talk to you about something…." He murmurs to the android.

"What could it be? Is it about something I can't even think up at the moment?"

"From earlier, when we were dancing. How did you do that? Jumping into a monitor like magic. Is it magic? I want to do that."

The rest of the gang begins to departure and Reactor follows behind the girls.

"It looked scary. I thought you were going to hurt yourself."

Pen laughs, wiping away a tear. "I bump into things a lot, but it didn't happen this time. I can do that because I'm not human!" He wiggles his fingers, "I'm really an alien." He snorts, catching his breath.

"It's an ability all of us androids have!"

"I want to do the same thing like you!" Punkish eagerly tugs on Pen's arm warmer. "Please, please, please? Teach me. I want you to show me."

The android looks off to the side and pushes himself out from the chair. He guides the young teen to another room filled with computers and other electronics. "This is an advanced editor room and such. We also go inside one of the computers to change out outfits in the easiest way." The android steps up to a monitor and sinks his hand into the screen like water which causes virtual ripples to appear. The older teen climbs up into the screen and looks down at Punkish from the other side.

"I'm not sure if you can do the same." Pen holds out his hand from the monitor and Punkish firmly holds his hand. The android attempts to pull the young boy in but his hand hits the glass screen. Punkish retreats back, looking down at his shoes and the wires that cover the floor.

"Don't be sad! I'll figure something out. We have the greatest scientists here. I'll ask them to help me help you, I promise."

'I want it to happen soon. I want to be there with you, away from here. It looks better and brighter there.' Punkish slowly holds up his head, "You better not break that promise."


	9. Drive (D:)

"I will keep my promise. I won't break it." Pen's words echo in the young teen's head as he lays himself on the lower bunk. Blue eventually crawls in and covers himself with their blanket.

The room feels heavier than before, maybe because he can feel Dark's pressuring hatred against him. Was it hate? He doesn't know and can't tell the difference from a child who doesn't dare smile at him. They'll try to play together or watch TV, but the strange child always snatches the remote control away or moves away from Punkish.

'You will keep your promise. You won't break it.' The young teen blows out air between his lips in satisfaction and allows slumber to take over. He dreams of himself living in a cozy home with Reactor and both Pin and Pen come over to visit them and all four eat lunch together and play around the grassy yard adorned with flowers and trees high enough for Punkish to feel like he can touch the sky and see the entire world from above.

A loud thud startles the boy awake and he finds himself on the floor. No Blue on sight and Dark is still asleep on his upper bunk. The young teen tiptoes out the bedroom and sneaks over to the room both Star and Reactor share. Very slowly does he creak the door open and finds a large lump on the upper bunk. Star isn't there and it's only Reactor under the pile of blankets.

"Reactor?" Punkish calls out to her and the girl jumps out from bed at the mention of her name.

"I've been awake! Star isn't here and I don't know where she's gone to."

"I don't know where Blue is, it's like they both vanished."

"How about we go outside and play?" Reactor smiles wide at him, dragging him down the stairs and to the great outdoors. How ungrateful will that turn out to be for the young pair of teens later that day.

Night falls and the young duo run into a shed in the backyard of the apartments with them both sharing wishes. Reactor wants to make friends and be close to Star and of course Punkish wants to do the same things like Pen. Reactor wishes for cute clothes and Punkish wouldn't mind dressing up in cute clothes with her. Reactor unties a towel and gives Punkish a sandwich they both prepared before hiding in the shed. They hear rustling and both assume it must be a stray cat until pebbles rain on the shed.

Reactor drops her sandwich on the wooden floor and looks around the shed. "Is there ice falling from the sky? It's getting louder! Punkish, I don't like it. I don't like it. What's going on? Is there an apocalypse going on?"

His legs are frozen stiff, "I… I can't move! I'm stuck!" Reactor massages his knees, trying to pull her best friend up from the floor. More pebbles rain on the roof of the shed and a handful make it to the single window.

"I hate you, I hate you! I hate how you two get along, it's _disgusting!_"

Both teens look up the window and at each other. "Is that Dark?" Reactor mumbles to Punkish, hugging him tight.

"You both treat each other like brother and sister. Sisters are stupid! Family is stupid." The young child threatens and insults the two, Reactor begins to tear up.

"Where's Star, where's Blue!?" Her throat feels tight and the shed grows bigger in her eyes. "Can't breathe. Help! Help!" Reactor breaks down and Pun crawls to the exit to push the doors open. Something is blocking the exit and even he starts to panic. He crawls back to Reactor, "I'm here. I'm here."

A large rock hits the window and glass shards burst and scatter around the shed. Handfuls of glass fall on the two. Without much thought to it, Punkish picks up Reactor and holds her up to the window. "Go! Get out!" Punkish orders her and Reactor cries louder, pushing herself out from the window and she falls on her bottom. She hides in the shadows, searching for Dark. Dark's face is stained in tears but Reactor doesn't allow any room for pity. She jumps onto he feet and sprints to the boy, tackling him down. He screams and slaps her, failing to shove her off.

"Stop it! Stop it!" She chokes out, slapping him back in return. The blonde girl runs to the doorway of the shed, shoving away objects blocking the door.

"I'm going to tell them what you did when they get back home!" Dark growls under his breath. "Don't care! Don't care. Do what you want. I'm helping. Punkish locked in." Reactor's voice shakes as she stumbles over her words. She struggles to catch her breath and successfully opens the doors for her friend. Punkish crawls over to Reactor and the darkness envelopes her. The young girl faints and Punkish holds her in his arms. He wipes away his tears, holding on tight to Reactor.

"Why do you care about her? What's so special? I don't like you being attached to her!" Dark walks over to Punkish. "Why, why, why? I hate it so much. I hate sisters… Sisters are awful and should be dead." That's what Dark wishes to happen; he wishes his own sister to be dead for trying to drown him. But neither are good and no one can justify their awful actions.

Punkish stares angrily at Dark, he wishes for that brat to take back everything he's said. Sisters aren't awful. Sisters don't deserve to die.

'We could have died.' Punkish lies on the ground with Reactor, hoping Star and Blue come home soon and help patch things up. Thirty minutes later, they do return. Star isn't so thrilled about what had occurred when they were gone and Blue is clueless about what to do.

"You shouldn't have provoked him." Star glowers at Punkish. The young boy is dumbfounded, how can she possibly protect Dark! Star rolls her eyes and kneels down to carry Reactor in her arms.

"You can't touch her." Punkish chokes back tears and wobbles onto his feet. He doesn't even permit Blue to carry her. Punkish carries his sisterly friend into their apartment and rests with her on the couch.

The young teen doesn't look at the rest of their roommates. If someone's going to protect Reactor, it'll be him. He's been friends with her long enough that they share a strong bond better than anyone else in this terrible house. It all feels awful.

It takes long for him to sleep, eventually giving in.


End file.
